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Today was SYATP, or "See You At The Pole." It began in 1990. I wasn't around the flag pole today, but I was 20 years ago. (Okay, how old does that make me feel?!)

I was in middle school. We'd never had See You at the Pole at our school before but our youth group was attending a rally with several other churches and I was hyped. Several of my friends from church were also in my school so I gathered a small group who agreed to join me around the flag pole and pray. I grabbed some of the posters and hung them up around school. And then I got called to the office.

Now you must understand. I was a good student. More than that, I was a "goody-two-shoes." I didn't like to make waves. I didn't get in trouble. Getting called to the principal's office was a rare experience for me.

"Carrie," he started, "Someone said you hung up these posters," he passed me one of the familiar fliers. I simply nodded. He continued, "We don't…

It's no secret I have an obsession with Double Stuf'd Oreos. The posts on my Facebook page from friends and family alike indicate that everyone knows it - or maybe they're hinting at my need for Oreos Anonymous. Friends tell me of the latest Oreo creations - the newest flavor coming in candy corn, apparently. I stick to the original double stuf'd. But I always appreciate that my friends see Oreos and think of me.

This month my friends have shared in my desperate search for the seasonal Pumpkin Spice creamer. We've had a full-blown search party across the area in anticipation of the first sign of the stuff. We've scoured every super market in a 20 mile radius for the past few weeks. My desperation lead me to even post on Coffee Mate's Facebook page and ask when we would get the anticipated creamer. They responded it was coming soon. FINALLY! I found it today! And sure enough...there were posts all around to make sure our friends knew we had located the good…

I know there is such a thing as "mean girls" in school, but I think there should be a movie about the "nasty boys" who also accompanied my school days... And tormented my life.

These were the boys who, looking back on it, probably didn't feel very good about themselves. Although at the time, all anyone could do was believe the teasing and tormenting they caused. They picked on everyone and everything. They pointed out the obvious - physical features, clothes, social status, academic standings, athletic abilities. It didn't matter what it was, they were going to find it and make fun of it in such a way that you wanted to crawl under your desk and die.

One such "nasty boy" decided I was his target one day in 5th grade. It was beginning to be warm and I had on shorts. And then it happened.

I was so excited about my Groupon purchase! The box had finally arrived. An oblong rectangle - at least 32" long. The outer cardboard box bore the address label and the word "FRAGILE." I began the process to open the package.

The cardboard box was sealed shut with heavy duty packing tape. I couldn't pry it apart myself so I had to use scissors to cut it open. Inside was yet another box. This was the product's packaging. It bore the clear plastic window to reveal what was inside just begging to be removed. Not before the end flaps had to be untaped and opened. Inside revealed a perfectly proportioned rectangle of stirofoam that had gained such friction when slid into its packaging that it seemed as if it was glued in place. This was going to require more effort than just a simple pull. This called for a wiggle, jiggle, pry and pull juggling act...until... FINALLY! The stirofoam was free and now the contents could be seen - almost touchable, but not quite. Yet an…

We've all done it. The alarm goes off. You look at the time as if it's a surprise, knowing full well you set it the night before. Maybe you're like me with two alarms set. The first is just a suggestion. I know this isn't when I need to get up but it's 15 minutes ahead - almost like a warning - of the second alarm that will buzz. That's the real one. Inevitably I snooze the first one into oblivion and wait for the real alarm to jolt me from my slumber.

The second alarm is when the negotiations begin.

"If I don't wash my hair, I can have 15 more minutes..."
Buzz...buzz...

"If I wear something I don't have to iron, I can have 5 more minutes..."
Buzz...buzz...

"If I don't pack my lunch, I can take another 10 minutes..."
Buzz...buzz...

Inevitably, no matter how many compromises I make, I still have to get up. The snooze only prolongs my sleep a few more minutes.

I had an elementary school teacher who would line us up for lunch each day in a different order. Sometimes we had to organize ourselves shortest to tallest, or by birthdays on the calendar year.

One particular day she gave us our orders, "Line up by hair color - lightest to darkest," she said.

A toe-head blonde knowingly marched to the front of the line. Another classmate with jet black hair made his way to the back. The rest of us were to assemble between the two. I wasn't blonde and I certainly didn't have dark hair, so I struggled a bit to find my place in line.

"Carrie," the teacher called me out. "Find your spot, please."

I was starting to get stressed. I went toward the blondes and was told my hair was too dark to stand there. I started toward the middle and the brown-heads knew to shrug me off as I didn't belong there either.

I was standing awkwardly by myself while the rest of my classmates were assembled and waiting on me before we co…

It's true of most of us, isn't it? We paint on a smile, paste on a happy face, and we lie through grinning teeth about the heartache we're hiding deep inside.

It's safer this way. MUCH safer. Too many times we've turned to the wrong person or the wrong thing. And the result? Typically more devastation and brokenness. More "stuff" to muddle through and more "junk" to sweep away in the recesses of our minds. Just another place of our hearts we close off and hope to never have to deal with again.

It's true of me. The places I try to hide are the very places God needs to do business. The stuff I want to forget and never revisit is the stuff He needs to deal with. The parts I try to lock away are the parts where He shows up and forces me to reveal.

It has become "one of those days." It started out divine - a crisp, bright morning was a gentle reminder that fall is quickly approaching. The glaring sun was rising majesticly to take its rightful place and begin warming up the chilly start to the day. But as the day has progressed, it has become apparent that this is "one of those days"... One of those days where Satan is determined to attack. One of those days when little things out of the blue pop up and creep in to steal my peace and joy. One of those days where it seems to keep mounting - one thing after another that each carry their own burdens but when compounded with one another, the weight seems unbearable. Devastation seems inevitable...

Ever have one of those days?!

The set of circumstances that utterly destroys your demeanor; the ordeal that leaves your emotions shattered; the devastating news that rocks you to your core; the compounded questions that alter your way of thinking; the kind of day that lea…

I've spent so much of my life seeking God's direction. "Lord, give me guidance; show me the way." I've asked repeatedly for His will to be revealed to me or to know and understand His plan.

You see, I've wanted to do what's "right," good, His will, His plan - yet unfortunately, too often in my Christian walk, I've gotten so side-tracked by asking for guidance that I've lost sight of His main and original plan for me.

When Moses came down from Mount Sinai with the two tablets of the covenant law in his hands, he was not aware that his face was radiant because he had spoken with the Lord... Exodus 34:29After Moses had spent time with the Lord, receiving His direction, getting the 10 Commandments and God's instructions, his face was radiant. His face reflected the time he'd spent with the Lord - he was mirroring God's glory - and it was evident to the people.

O Lord God Almighty, who is like you?You are mighty, O Lord, and your faithfulness surrounds you. You rule over the surging sea;when its waves mount up, you still them. Psalm 89:8-9
Someone needs to know there is no one like God. Someone needs to know He is faithful.
Someone needs to know that the surging sea will not cause your ship to wreck. Someone needs to know the crashing waves will not overtake you.
Someone needs to know that with one word He speaks and the wind and waves obey Him.

Someone needs to know He stills the storm, and He will still you too. For who in the skies above can compare with the Lord?Who is like the Lord among the heavenly beings?Psalm 89:6
When circumstances are too overwhelming...
When life is too difficult to face...
When the burden is too much to bear...When the pit is too deep to climb out of... ...One thing remains...
His love. His neverending, unconditional, matchless love. It is the very essence of His being. It reaches to the depths of the pit you find …

Redeemed, forgiven, bought by blood. Letting the broken pieces of a scattered life be mended into His masterpiece.
The blog isn't meant for anyone. It's mine. My private thoughts. My talks with God. My discoveries of life. My lessons and experiences; my joy, my pain.
This is who I am. Wired for sound; amped up on life; bringing people along my journey in the process. More than that, it is who God made me to be.